1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to surgical systems and, more particularly, to ultrasonic horns for fragmenting tissue in fluid filled cavities during a surgical procedure.
2. Background of Related Art
It is known in the art of applying ultrasonic horns for fragmenting tissue in fluid filled cavities during a surgical procedure that energy is absorbed or dispersed from ultrasonic tips by fluid along the tip length. If fluid fills a flue around an ultrasonic tip or is aspirated without air inside of the tip, the energy loss renders the tip inoperative. Such conditions are most severe when an ultrasonic tip is used in environments such as a ventricle of the brain.
What is needed is a method of irrigating tissue which isolates an ultrasonic tip from irrigation fluid, and provides an air path so that the condition rendering the tip as inoperative is mitigated or completely eliminated, even in environments such as a ventricle of the brain.